04 FEBRUARY 2026

Beyond “religious tourism”: why mission still matters

Mark Pugh is joined by Marty Davison, Elim’s International Missions Director, for a conversation that reframes mission as obedience, discipleship, and family.

What if mission is not a specialist calling for a few, but a normal part of following Jesus for all of us? Together, Mark and Marty explore why the Great Commission still matters, why “going” is more than geography, and how local churches can take meaningful steps towards the nations without losing sight of their neighbourhoods.

Available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.

Listen to Episode 6 and subscribe at elim.org.uk/elimleaderspodcast.

In this episode

Mission changes the person who goes

Marty is honest about the common assumption that we go mainly to give. Often, he says, people return having received more than they expected, with a fresh dependence on God, a renewed faith for prayer, and a deeper joy in the gospel.

He shares vivid moments from the Amazon where church still gathered, worship still rose, and faith still persisted, even when conditions felt impossible.

It is one Church, not “us and them”

A key thread in the conversation is family. Marty describes the global Church as one body, and challenges the instinct to celebrate what God is doing “over there” only when we see it “here” too.

This episode also includes snapshots from Elim missionaries serving across the world, reminding us that partnership is not theory, it is real people, real callings, and real communities.

Leaders can mobilise mission without losing the local

Marty links Acts 1:8 to everyday church life: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. The fruit of mission-minded churches is not only global impact, but local renewal as people learn to pray boldly, tell their story, and take small steps of obedience.

He also addresses the questions leaders carry about complexity, risk, and responsibility, and encourages churches to think less in terms of “what’s the balance?” and more in terms of faithful obedience.

Practical pathways for Elim churches

Marty points leaders towards clear next steps through Elim Missions, including short-term placements, ways to support missionaries, and the Missions Academy as a pathway for those sensing a call.

He also shares a simple strapline rooted in Galatians 6:10: Together we can. In giving, praying, and sending, we care for the household of faith and extend the gospel further than any one local church could alone.